Landslides, Floods and Government’s Pre-election Manifesto

The monsoon season is here again. This time heightened by the adverse effects of climate change. According to the latest reports, thirteen persons have lost their lives. Over 400,000 persons from over 132,000 families have been affected by overflowing tanks, landslides and or flooding with 102 houses completely destroyed and over 2,000 partially damaged.

“Ours isn’t a leftist Govt, but one of leftist, democratic and progressive forces’’- Tilvin Silva General Secretary of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna

Tilvin Silva, the General Secretary of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the core base of National People’s Power (NPP), shares his views on the government’s way forward and responds to social media criticism on his participation at ABBA Tribute Concert during an interview with the Daily Mirror.

Solidarity with Palestine or death warrant?

Today is the United Nations Day for Solidarity with Palestine. Exactly 77 years ago today, the international community—dominated by the West then as it is now—signed the death warrant for the Palestinian people by adopting a United Nations General Assembly resolution.

The Need to ‘relocate’ and the Might of Floods -EDITORIAL

The heavy rains and strong winds lashing Sri Lanka over the past few days have left us thinking deep and forced us to make our own analysis about adverse weather and how people respond to such calamities.

Social Policies and the New Regime

The recently concluded Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka have resulted in a remarkable change in the composition of the political class that controls the State.

A Missed Opportunity Dr. Harsha could have been the ideal Opposition Leader

A coalition that previously held only three seats in Parliament has achieved a sweeping victory in Sri Lanka’s recent parliamentary elections. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led National People’s Power (NPP) coalition now controls over two-thirds of the legislature; a historic outcome unprecedented in the history of the Sri Lanka parliament. This political shift positions the leftist alliance to implement widespread policy changes, potential

Come Together to Confront Climate Change.

With about 200,000 people across 17 districts being affected by the Deep Depression in the Bay of Bengal, the government is moving fast to provide relief to them but in the aftermath, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People’s Power(NPP) government need to also look at the root causes of such a catastrophe. Clearly, one of the main reasons is the failure to effectively control climate change and we hope the government will give

Global scrutiny of Adani Group puts pressure on Sri Lanka to rethink major deals

The Adani Group once hailed as a symbol of rapid corporate growth in India, now faces a storm of controversy that has impacted its global operations, including significant projects in Sri Lanka.

Hypocrisy and challenges facing commemorating the dead

November is the month associated, with the commemoration of the dead. It has its origins in the Mexican ‘Día de los Muertos’ (Day of the Dead) which evolved from Aztec traditions combined with Catholic beliefs brought by the Spanish to that land.

A Cabinet without Muslims is not meritocratic but discriminatory

For the first time in recent memory, Sri Lanka now has a Cabinet devoid of Muslim representation. That is a grave error which should be rectified.

Jaffna victory is the prized jewel in NPP electoral crown

The Anura “Alai” or wave that engulfed the Tamil nationalist stronghold of Jaffna was the focus of this column published last week.

Global Increase of ‘Grey divorce’

The phenomenon of ‘grey divorce’ or divorce involving a couple above 50 years of age, drew public attention globally in 2021 when the great entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates (65) and his wife Melinda Gates (57) divorced.

Rule of law: An acid test for NPP govt - EDITORIAL

Delivering his first policy statement during the inaugural session of the new Parliament on November 21, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stressed that nobody would henceforth be above the law.

JVP Reforms, a Template for SJB : NPP Seals Ranil’s IMF Pact

Time waits for no one. Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle, the Dutch-American villager, fell into a deep sleep and awoke 20 years later to find a transformed world.

Fareed who? The world according to Fareed Zakaria

I ask people if they have heard of Fareed Zakaria, and I mean people who read widely and should know. But a surprising number don’t know who Fareed Zakaria is.

Media fears and government’s need to accept criticism - EDITORIAL

The new government took power scarcely a month ago. So far mainstream media has refrained from harsh criticism of the regime.

Minority support and a Cabinet without Muslims

As many observed before, the November 14 Parliamentary election has produced many firsts. The National People’s Power (NPP) led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been credited for all of them.

Pleasant surprises, sinister events ‘boggle the mind’

At the first sitting of the 10th Parliament on 21 November -a star-studded event the public witnessed in Parliament, a wide array of academically qualified members entered the House. Quite in contrast to occasions when members of the House which at times, brought its standing to the level of St. John’s Fish Market.

New govt need space to act on people’s mandate for change

The NPP leadership’s ability to bring about reconciliation between Sri Lanka’s ethnic communities depends on relieving the economic pressures on ordinary people. If the new government fails, it would create room for xenophobic forces that would also feed into the already unstable global order.

After a traumatic change, Bangladesh yet to find its feet

Late last week, the post-Hasina Interim Government of Bangladesh led by Nobel Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus crossed the first 100 days of its existence.

Strengthening Sri Lanka’s Flood Rescue Capabilities

Sri Lanka’s extensive river network makes it highly vulnerable to flooding, worsened by rising rainfall intensity.

Biden’s legacy: Gaza genocide and now possible nuclear war in Europe

Never has the world been so precariously on pins and needles as it is now, with Europe exposed to the threat of nuclear war, the West Asian region facing genocide, and the rest of the world uncertain about what to expect from the leadership change in the United States—a nation teetering on the brink of moral bankruptcy.

The President has a plan that includes everyone - EDITORIAL

There was a breath of fresh air spread all around during the first ‘meeting’ of the parliament which was convened yesterday (November 21) by the newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD).

‘Beautiful Badulla made ugly’ as communities yearn for clean water, sanitary facilities

In Badulla, families in tea plantation communities struggle daily to obtain clean water and enjoy basic sanitation. Distant, unreliable water sources and poor infrastructure expose residents to frequent illnesses.

The politics of inconveniencing the other must stop!

Just the other day (November 19 th , 2024 to be exact ) this writer, while travelling in a Tuk tuk, I had to endure the rudeness of being stopped by the police close to Koswatte junction( near Battaramulla).

Another landmark today for Lanka - EDITORIAL

Today, the newly-elected Parliament will meet at 10 a.m., for the first time, for a ceremonial sitting – another landmark for the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People Power (NPP).

Academics, professionals receive slots in newly elected Cabinet

Among the 21-member Cabinet of Ministers sworn in before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake there are 13 new faces in the parliament assuming responsibility for their respective portfolios. Many would agree that the newly appointed Cabinet, unprecedentedly, is the most qualified in the Sri Lankan political history. In comparison to previous governments, the new cabinet comprises individuals who are University academics and reputed professionals.

New president, new MPs and a joker in the ‘House’

Sri Lanka, as the late MP R. Sampanthan was to say is ‘at a critical juncture’. First it voted out, its war-winning President -Mahinda Rajapaksa. Next, in 2022 it chased out past President Gotabaya also a Rajapaksa, whose economic policies or lack of them, drove the country into defaulting its international debt payment

Promise and caution: What the NPP epic victory augurs for Sri Lanka

Whether you voted for the victorious NPP/JVP alliance, you didn’t’ or stayed at home, as did a good number of Opposition voters, there is no gainsaying that the just concluded general election of 2024 is a milestone. It is not just the sheer scale of the victory, though numbers are mind-boggling too. The NPP won 159 seats in Parliament, the most resounding victory since the proportional representation came into effect. But numbers tell only a par

‘Another teen dies’ as corporal punishment haunts Sri Lanka again!

In January this year, the Children and Young Persons (Amendment) Act No. 39 of 2022 was amended to extend protection of all children up to age 18.